I headed to Public Security Headquarters.
I met up with Melissa.
Her father was still recuperating on the planet.
As I expected, the effectiveness of nanomachines seemed to drop off with age.
You might be able to extend a lifespan to some extent, but true immortality was out of reach...
"Captain, someone’s here to greet us," Melissa said.
When I reached the entrance, I found a healthy-looking young man waiting.
"Her Highness Veronica, Captain Leo Kamishiro! I am Superintendent Amada!"
He looked to be in his late twenties.
Wow, the police were really going out of their way to be considerate...
In deference to me, they’d sent a captain-class official of roughly equal rank, and relatively close in age, to welcome us.
Finding someone who matched my rank and age was basically a pipe dream.
They must have struggled to select him.
He probably dealt with a lot of stress, caught between the civil officials and the military.
For some reason, I felt a phantom tear prick my eye.
"This way, please."
I was guided into a room labeled Scientific Investigation Lab.
A scholar-type staff member in a white lab coat and another in work clothes met us.
Ah, that wasn't a cosplay coat. That was the real deal.
"This is Superintendent Sangiorno, the head of the lab."
He was an older man with glasses and thinning hair.
"The report first," he said.
The old man handed me a physical, paper report.
Currently, the internet was functional, but administrative services were largely suspended.
Everyone was reverting back to using paper.
"The victim is male, estimated age between eighteen and thirty. DNA testing identified him as the true Grand Chamberlain Kotaro Nakazato. The suspect is also Grand Chamberlain Kotaro Nakazato, age fifty-eight. This was confirmed using hair samples recovered from a comb at his residence."
"I don't follow."
"What we know so far is that the victim is the nineteen-year-old Officer Academy student Kotaro Nakazato, and the perpetrator is the fifty-eight-year-old Grand Chamberlain Kotaro Nakazato. We suspect the use of a clone, but... normally, clones are only produced after the subject's death."
This made no sense!
My brain was starting to hurt!!!
"The victim's cause of death was a fracture due to cervical compression. Based on the nature of the break, it is estimated that his neck was snapped with a single hand."
They could tell all that? Scientific investigation was incredible!
...But as I thought, the perpetrator wasn't human.
"Based on the evidence, it is speculated that the suspect utilized combat prosthetics or power assistance from humanoid heavy machinery."
"What about the possibility of a Zork?"
"We lack the scientific data on the Zork to say for certain. Several decades ago, combat modification surgery was in vogue, but for this generation, the government made such procedures illegal and mandated operations to disable them."
It was getting more confusing by the second.
"Can you tell which one is the clone and which is the original?"
"We cannot. If pressed, I would say the one with traces of dental treatment is likely the original. However, clones are supposed to be produced posthumously to prevent any confusion between the original and the copy."
Figures.
Claire, who was originally supposed to die at the start, had a clone made after her death.
I couldn't be copied, so I was out of luck!
...Thinking back on it now, I suspected a copy couldn't be made because of Jester's ability.
The Jester was specifically adjusted to ensure he would never proliferate.
I bet copy protection was hard-baked into the design.
Terrifying.
People were the scariest things of all.
While I was lost in those unnecessary thoughts, a loud grinding sound rang out.
It was the sound of someone gnashing their teeth with incredible force.
When I looked for the source, I saw Wifey wearing a truly harrowing expression.
"Wh-What’s wrong?"
Does her stomach hurt?
As I entertained that stupid thought, Melissa drove an elbow into my ribs.
She saw right through me.
"Lord Groom, Melissa... we are going to the hotel rented by the Inner Palace."
"Does Your Highness know something?"
Amada’s eyes sharpened.
Well, he was bound to be curious.
"If you are that interested, follow us. However, understand that once you know the truth, you will be held responsible."
"That sounds ominous... Ahahaha."
Amada laughed as if she were joking.
But he froze the moment he saw our faces.
The Inner Palace was a place of pure darkness.
"Is it really that dangerous?"
"Yes. If you still wish to know, then come."
"Understood. I can report this to my superiors, correct?"
"It will only increase the number of people dragged into the mess. Do as you wish."
We left the lab and boarded a military vehicle for the hotel rented by the Inner Palace.
Amada came with us.
The military had set up a cordon in front of the building.
After checking in at the reception, we headed inside.
Once there, we were welcomed by the loli harem—who were all middle-aged women on the inside.
"Oh my, oh my. The Lord Groom is here~♪"
"Look at that, with Veronica-chan~♪"
We weren't getting anywhere.
Seeing this, Wifey—who was panicking and had zero composure left—cut straight to the point.
"Mother... I wish to request an audience with the Elder."
Wifey’s mother looked troubled.
"Oh dear... is it truly all right to tell Leo-kun?"
"Yes. It seems the time has come to disclose it."
"I see. Shall we go, then?"
We took the elevator to the upper floors.
The Elder was in the penthouse suite.
Several doctors were on permanent standby there, and the person presumed to be the Elder was hooked up to a forest of tubes.
Even from a distance, the Elder looked like a beautiful young girl who was a dead ringer for Wifey. An elder? Where?
No, larval fixation isn't that miracle-working.
"This is the Elder."
"The Elder?"
"Yes. The human experiments conducted by Imperial Princess Luna were continued using clones. At the time, they didn't realize that ESP powers wouldn't be inherited by clones. This girl is a survivor of that."
"How many centuries ago was that?"
"Roughly five hundred years ago, around the time Luna died."
"Five hundred years old? Is that even possible?"
"It is impossible with modern technology. It is said to be a unique mutation caused by a cloning error."
"Wait, hold on. Why is she in the Inner Palace?"
I had a very bad feeling about this.
"The Emperor of that era, who coveted Imperial Princess Luna’s power and the clone’s immortality, took her as a consort. As did his son, and his grandson. Do you understand, Lord Groom? This was the genesis of the Inner Palace's incestuous traditions..."
There was actually a reason for the perversion?
"Th-Then, Father-in-law too..."
Maro also wanted the power of immortality and...
"That man was just a pervert."
He was just a pervert!
In other words... while the incest and lolicon tendencies had a purpose initially, eventually, they just became genuine perverts.
"For the record, in this current generation, Walter is the only true lolicon."
That bastard Walter. So he really was one...
To think he was after my wife; I should have punched his lights out while I was still healthy.
(In my current state, it would just look pathetic, so I can't really hit him.)
In that sense, Big Brother Thomas and Big Brother Cyrus were absolute saints, born of a miracle...
Big Brother Thomas liked buff women with big chests, and Big Brother Cyrus was into thicker women and was a total ass man.
Whenever I’d steered the conversation toward dirty topics in our downtime, they’d happily shared.
They were honest with their desires, and that was perfectly fine in my book!!!
While I was nodding in private agreement, the rising star of the police force, Amada, was shaking like a leaf.
"I-Is this something I should even know...?"
"Make it public."
"I-I-I-I can't!"
"If you claim the police are unable to handle it, then I shall issue a formal command once I have ascended the throne."
"Agagagagagagaga! As you wish!!! I really shouldn't have come!!!"
I put on my most sympathetic face.
"Welcome to the world of the Imperial Family."
"Captain! I’m going to resent you for the rest of my life!!!"
Come on, Amada... we’re BFFs now...
Anyway, setting aside the revelation of the Inner Palace’s super-sized darkness, what about the Grand Chamberlain?
"So, what about the Grand Chamberlain’s situation?"
"It was a clone."
"Huh?"
"Zork agents aren't limited to those with the Zork factor! The traitors are illegal clones!!! Isn't that right, Elder? Decades ago, my father ordered the creation of illegal clones, didn't he?"
"That is correct."
A frail voice whispered.
Aaaaaaaaaah!
That bastard Maro! He never did anything useful!!!
A man's life is perfectly complete as long as he has ass and tits!
Why the hell would you go looking for immortality!?"